“There is an appointed time for everything

and a time for every affair under the heavens.”

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, Verse 1

Every now and again we have a need to take a break from our normal routines. We all feel the need for this. I recently finished my family vacation to see my in laws in Indiana. Such a wonderful time with great hosts, they always go out of there way to ensure we are well taken care of.  They are a great extended family, and they are always looking out for my family.  The kids got to see snow for the first time, which is exciting.  It was a wonderful time, I can not stress that enough. It was relaxing, I got to be with the ones that I love.

I left all my electronics at home, minus my phone. This is a good thing, and a bad thing at the same time, because I had to find new ways to keep the ideas that always pop into my mind written down. I say this because midway through my vacation, my Mom let me know that my step-grandmother Mary had passed away. I didn’t have anything to help facilitate the swirling thoughts in my head at the time. I was not upset, and I was not saddened to the point of depression, but it would have been nice to be able to write down my thoughts at that exact moment. I wasn’t able to, so this is the best that I could do.

Sitting there in Indiana, in a town that is modern yet still country, I could only see the good times that I had spent with Mary. I didn’t see her often, but when I did, she always had a smile, no matter what. She was just a good person, and was there when my step-dad passed away. That is probably the reason I was not sad for her to leave, but sad for the world to lose another smile. It is something we don’t have a lot of in this world these days. It also got me to thinking about my own life, and how I have been. I am far from perfect, that is for sure, but was I a good person? Did I impact someone to where they would think of me and smile, or not?

Today, we laid her to rest.  Everyone there was there because they knew her and she had impacted them in some positive way. It was amazing to hear the celebration of her life and how they knew she was in a better place. Even the pastor of the ceremony said we needed to reflect on ourselves. In doing that, for the past three days, I have come to terms with my past transgressions, and it is time to ensure I move on from there a better person. I know that I have made a lot of “wrong” choices in my life, hurt some people, and not been a good friend to others. Lucky for me, I have a forgiving God, and he has taught me to be better than that. I ask for forgiveness from anyone that I have hurt.  I want to be remembered for the good things I have done, just like the wonderful person we laid to rest today.